Appointing the Right Resilience Leaders: An Underestimated Organizational Challenge

In many organizations, organizational resilience, business continuity, emergency preparedness, and crisis management rely on a small number of key individuals. These individuals are not always in the spotlight, rarely fully dedicated to this role, yet they carry significant responsibility: coordinating preparedness, orchestrating crisis response, supporting the return to normal operations, and sustaining a structured resilience program over time.

On paper, the role appears clear. In reality, it is often vague, fragmented, under-resourced, and sometimes assigned “by default.” And this is precisely where the challenges begin.

This article addresses a reality that is too often left unspoken: the difficulty of selecting the right individuals to coordinate organizational resilience, and the conditions necessary for them to truly succeed in that role.

 

A Central Role… Rarely Recognized at Its True Value

Within organizations, individuals serving as global resilience coordinators—whether titled Business Continuity Manager, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Crisis Manager, Resilience Lead, or any similar variation—occupy a unique position.

They are called upon to:

• Coordinate the development and updating of plans (business continuity, emergency response, crisis management, IT disaster recovery, etc.).
• Support the activation of plans during an incident or crisis.
• Contribute to the coordination of crisis management teams.
• Assist in return-to-normal phases.
• Oversee backup and emergency equipment.
• Plan and organize tests and exercises.
• Structure training and awareness initiatives.
• Maintain governance of the program.
• Ensure reporting and accountability to leadership.

Few roles combine so many strategic, operational, human, and political dimensions. And yet, in most organizations, these functions:

• Are not full-time.
• Do not always have clear hierarchical authority.
• Are rarely supported by a strong formal mandate.
• Are often perceived as “important, but not urgent.”

 

An Appointment Too Often Made “By Default”

In practice, the selection of these coordinators rarely results from structured reflection. It is often the outcome of organizational compromise.

The most common scenarios are well known:

• The responsibility is assigned to someone already in a related function (IT, security, health and safety, facilities, operations).
• The individual is chosen because they are perceived as being “at the heart of the organization.”
• No one volunteered, and someone had to be appointed.
• The function is assigned out of necessity, sometimes in urgency.
• The individual is viewed as reliable, available, or simply the least resistant.

These choices are not ill-intentioned. They often reflect real constraints: limited resources, competing priorities, budget pressure, and/or limited organizational maturity.

However, they carry a significant risk: confusing availability, proximity, or goodwill with the real capability to coordinate resilience.

 

A Role Exposed to Multiple Tensions

Whether full-time or not, individuals assigned to a global resilience coordination role face similar challenges.

1- Shifting Organizational Priorities

Resilience frequently competes with projects perceived as more visible or directly value-generating in the short term. Deadlines are postponed, exercises deferred, updates delayed.

2- Recurring Budget Constraints

Investments in resilience are regularly viewed as costs to justify rather than as levers for protection and performance. The coordinator becomes a constant negotiator.

3- Variable Executive Support

Even when leadership initially expresses interest, tangible support may erode over time, especially in the absence of a recent crisis.

4- Demanding but Unclear Accountability

Results are expected, without always providing the necessary levers: time, authority, resources, clear indicators.

5- High Personal Exposure During Crises

In a major incident, these individuals quickly become focal points, sometimes scapegoats, particularly when program limitations become visible.

 

The Myth of the “Good Plan” and the Reality of Human Capability

A frequent observation following exercises or real crises is this: plans exist, but their activation relies on individuals who do not always have the means to act effectively.

Resilience is not determined solely by the quality of documents, but by the coordinators’ ability to:

• Influence without direct hierarchical authority.
• Mobilize cross-functional teams.
• Stay the course despite resistance.
• Communicate clearly under pressure.
• Bridge strategy, operations, and governance.

This is why the selection of individuals to assume this role cannot be improvised.

 

What Qualities Should Be Sought in a Global Resilience Coordinator?

Rather than focusing on job titles, it is more relevant to focus on the necessary competencies and attributes.

Key qualities include:

1- Organizational Credibility

The individual must be recognized as reliable, structured, and capable of engaging with various hierarchical levels, including senior leadership.

2- Cross-Functional Influence

Resilience is a collective effort. The coordinator must be able to mobilize without imposing.

3- High Tolerance for Ambiguity

Crises are inherently imperfect, evolving, and stressful. The ability to decide and move forward without complete information is essential.

4- Operational Discipline

Monitoring plans, timelines, exercises, training, equipment—resilience depends on consistent discipline.

5- Calm and Structuring Presence

In crisis situations, the coordinator’s behavior directly influences team dynamics.

 

Toward a More Mature Selection Approach

Several organizations benefit from adopting a more structured approach, including:

• Clarifying the mandate before appointing the individual: A vague mandate leads to a fragile role. Responsibilities, expectations, and boundaries must be explicitly defined.

• Assessing competencies, not just the position: A title does not guarantee aptitude. An honest evaluation of strengths and comfort zones is essential.

• Establishing a duo rather than an isolated individual: An operational coordinator supported by a clearly identified executive sponsor significantly increases the chances of success.

• Formally recognizing the role: Organizational recognition (allocated time, defined objectives, performance evaluation criteria) is a key factor in sustainability.

 

The Role of the Executive Sponsor: An Essential Lever

No global coordinator can succeed without real and sustained executive support. An executive owner of resilience (or of a specific plan) must be formally appointed within the executive committee. This individual:

• Brings the matter to the executive committee.
• Arbitrates priorities.
• Ensures necessary funding, prioritization of resilience within the organization, and long-term sustainability.
• Supports difficult decisions.
• Legitimizes the coordinator’s efforts.
• Ensures accountability at the highest level.

Without this tandem, resilience relies on isolated individuals rather than on solid governance.

 

Expected Qualities of Departmental Plan Owners

Departmental leaders assigned key roles in business continuity plans, emergency response plans, crisis management plans, crisis communications plans, or IT disaster recovery plans occupy a pivotal position between organizational strategy and operational reality. Their effectiveness depends less on their title than on their detailed understanding of their unit’s critical activities, dependencies, and real constraints.

Above all, these individuals must have a strong grasp of their scope, including:

• Key processes.
• Internal and external dependencies.
• Essential resources.
• Critical suppliers.
• Regulatory constraints.
• Points of vulnerability and risks.
• Plausible disruption scenarios.
• Key personnel.

They are best positioned to translate overarching directives into concrete, realistic, and operationally applicable measures.

From a skills perspective, organizations should seek individuals capable of making operational decisions under pressure, rapidly prioritizing, communicating clearly with their teams, and collaborating effectively across units. The ability to document what matters, keep plans up to date, and actively participate in tests and exercises is also decisive.

Contrary to common belief, these roles do not require crisis management or continuity experts. They require instead:

• Recognized operational credibility within the unit.
• The ability to mobilize teams during plan activation.
• A strong sense of responsibility and rigor in following up on assigned actions.
• Openness to training and continuous improvement.

Finally, these individuals must be supported by their hierarchy and formally recognized in their role. When appointed “by default” without a clear mandate, allocated time, or formal legitimacy, plans quickly become theoretical. Conversely, when their role is clarified, equipped, and valued, they become a powerful lever to transform organizational resilience into real, distributed, and sustainable capability.

 

Conclusion

The difficulty of selecting the right individuals to coordinate organizational resilience is not an individual problem. It is a structural issue of governance and organizational maturity.

Assigning this role by default, without a clear mandate or genuine support, exposes the organization to significant gaps between stated intentions and the actual ability to respond to a crisis.

Conversely, a thoughtful selection based on competencies, supported by clear governance and backed by leadership, turns these coordinators into true catalysts of resilience.

In a context where disruptions are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more interconnected, the question is no longer simply whether plans exist, but whether the right people are truly able to bring them to life when it matters most.

 

Strategic Support to Strengthen Your Resilience

At Benoit Racette Services-conseils inc., we help organizations protect their critical operations, ensure the safety of their teams, and maintain the trust of their clients—even when a major disruption occurs.

With over 28 years of specialized experience in business continuity, crisis management, emergency preparedness, and IT disaster recovery planning, Benoit Racette supports organizations with rigor and confidentiality, transforming complex challenges into concrete solutions tailored to their reality.

• Resilience diagnostic
• Updated business continuity plan
• Operational crisis management plan
• Realistic IT disaster recovery plan
• Tests and exercises to validate plans and strengthen teams
• Targeted training in continuity, crisis management, and operational preparedness

These are the tools that distinguish organizations that suffer… from those that respond with control. Would you like to analyze your vulnerabilities, adjust your plans, or prepare more effectively?

Contact us: [email protected]